Dad visits Disney World and issues brutal verdict – but fans spot big mistake
With the summer holidays in full swing, many families will be embarking on vacations, whether that's abroad or as part of a staycation. Some of those seasonal revellers will be lucky enough to be visiting 'Mickey's House', AKA, Walt Disney World Resort, Florida.
It's estimated that just under 1 million UK visitors travel to Orlando annually, with 80% of those visiting 'the most magical place of earth'. However, while Disney World and Disney Land are widely loved by children and held with a fierce nostalgia by many parents (and non-parents), the reality can sometimes prove to be less than dreamy.
What's more, one viral video recently popped the Mickey-ears shaped bubble with one deft swipe. Alex Dodman is a social influencer with roughly 450,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram.
The father-of-three is famous for his 'real reviews' of family days out, attractions and holidays, as well as viral trends and cultural events - and now his spotlight is firmly on the Disney resort.
Opening the review with a wry, "It's almost like we've been programmed to think that this is the most magical place on earth", while filming a motorway gantry leading into the theme park that proclaims the very same, Alex boldly claims that "it's probably the most overpriced tourist p**stakes in history".
As many a parent who's been through the Disney World machine will attest to, the resort is not cheap. A Disney World holiday for a family of four from the UK, including flights, can range from around £6,500 to £15,000 or more, depending on the various packages.
And the repeated financial roundhouse kicks are not entirely conducive to a happy holiday between married people, either, with Alex saying it's likely they're going to "pretend they're having a good time posting about it online, when in reality they've probably argued about 1,000 times, been on the brink of divorce, and each child has had an overstimulated meltdown every half an hour".
According to the influencer: "A ticket to get in here for the day for two adults, two kids and a baby was $709 and because I actually wanted the kids to go on a ride this time, I got some lightning Lane tickets for three rides for an extra $136... How is this even allowed?"
'Main Street', the thoroughfare with full view of the Disney Castle, is one to swerve, says Alex.
Not impressed with people that "pretended to cry when they first saw the castle", he cracked on to the rides - saying that "having some lightning Lane tickets did work well".
He was less than impressed with the rides themselves, saying the 'Barnstormer' "lasted for 25 seconds", 'Peter Pan's Flight' was "basically pitch black" and 'It's a Small World' was "everyone's favourite nightmare".
Conceding that he did understand why "this place is some people's happy place", Alex reflected that the 'trap' may lie in the fact that Brits have travelled all the way to Orlando.
For that reason, it's tempting to give in to the cost to embrace a "once in a lifetime" trip. However, he went on to say that: "There's no way you can enjoy this without having in the back of the mind how utterly screwed you're being done by Disney".
Summing up, Alex considered the pay off of such a pricey trip, saying: "Did the kids enjoy it? Yeah. But we also went to Clearwater Beach for the weekend, and they said they had a better time jumping in the sea there, which was free".
He added: "However you chop it up, it's way too expensive."
Comments to the video were mixed, with some wholeheartedly agreeing and others fiercely defending the place that they deeply love.
Many pointed out that Alex's big mistake was not booking park hopper tickets that make the experience a whole lot more affordable. Doing more research could have helped him to avoid the busiest queues, too.
One follower helpfully supplied: "Yeah, feels like you need so much insider knowledge to not be stung so much with Disney. Park hopper tickets are a better and cheaper option. Staying at Disney property helps for costs with parking for free and dining plans."
Another person was keen to help too, saying: "Disney World takes a lot of research to do it well and paying for lightning lanes on these type of rides shows you didn't complete basic training in Disney world trip planning. I think it's to do with having really little kids too it's so much fun in the bigger better rides with older kids".
One poster was relived that they weren't missing out, saying: "Thank you for blessing us poor who can't get there that we aren't depriving our kids and ourselves of the most magical experience on earth".
And one full-blown fan was clear where her loyalty lay, expressing: "I'm in the Disney cult. Please don't save me if I blink. They can take my hard earned cash from me so I can walk down that busy street, get tears in my eyes and reminisce of days gone by. "
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